Cable tie

ABSTRACT

A cable tie may include a belt and a buckle to which a proximal end of the belt is connected. When the belt wrapped around a clamped article is inserted into an insertion hole of the buckle through an inlet end and is then tightened, the belt can be locked to the buckle while the belt is fastened around the clamped article. After the belt is locked to the buckle, an excess portion of the belt drawn from an outlet end of the insertion hole of the buckle is cut off while leaving a remaining portion. The buckle has a protecting portion that is configured to cover both sides of the remaining portion of the belt. The protecting portion is configured to cover all of four corners of a cut surface of the remaining portion of the belt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cable tie (a clamping band). Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a cable tie for clampingor binding a clamped article (e.g., a wiring harness) in order to attachthe same to an object member (e.g. a body panel of a vehicle).

Description of Related Art

A known cable tie is taught by, for example, JP 2012-137145A. As shownin FIGS. 36 to 38, the known cable tie 701 is intended to be used forclamping or binding a wiring harness (a clamped article W) that is usedfor vehicle wiring in order to attach the same to a body panel of avehicle (an object member) (not shown). The cable tie 701 includes adesired length of flexible belt 710 (a holding member) that isconfigured to circumferentially hold the wiring harness W, a buckle 720to which one longitudinal end of the belt 710 is connected, and anengagement leg or anchor 730 integrally connected to the buckle 720 andconfigured to be inserted into an attaching hole (not shown) formed inthe body panel of the vehicle.

In order to clamp the wiring harness W, the belt 710 is looped and thewiring harness W. Thereafter, a leading end of the wrapped belt 710 isinserted into an insertion hole 722 formed in the buckle 720 and is thendrawn from an outlet 722 b of the insertion hole 722 of the buckle 720.Thereafter, the belt 710 is tightened or fastened by pulling the leadingend thereof drawn from the buckle 720. At this time, an engagement claw760 a formed in an engagement strip 760 of the buckle 720 canselectively engage engagement teeth 710 a of the belt 710, so that thebelt 710 can be locked or secured to the buckle 720 while the belt 710is fastened around the wiring harness W. Thus, the wiring harness W canbe clamped by the fastened belt 710 and the buckle 720. Subsequently,the anchor 730 is inserted into the attaching hole of the body panel. Asa result, the anchor 730 can be fixed to the body panel, so that thecable tie 701 can be connected to the body panel. Thus, the wiringharness W can be attached to the body panel via the cable tie 701.

Generally, an excess portion of the belt 710 drawn from the buckle 720and tightened may preferably be cut off while leaving a required lengthof remaining portion S. The belt remaining portion S may generally haveedges formed in a cut surface S1 thereof. However, the buckle 720 has apair of protecting portions 724 formed therein. The protecting portions724 are positioned across the outlet 722 b of the insertion hole 722 soas to laterally cover the belt remaining portion S. The protectingportions 724 of the buckle 720 may prevent the fingers h (FIG. 38) ofworkers from contacting the edges of the belt remaining portion S. As aresult, the fingers h of workers can be effectively prevented from beingirritated or injured by the edges of the belt remaining portion S.

However, as shown in FIG. 38, in the known cable tie 701 taught by JP2012-137145A, the remaining portion S of the belt 710 tends to warp inan end portion (a portion adjacent to the cut surface S1). When the beltremaining portion S of the belt 710 is warped, the warped end portion(the cut surface S1) of the belt remaining portion S may be displaced ordeflected from the protecting portions 724 of the buckle 720. As aresult, the protecting portions 724 cannot sufficiently cover the beltremaining portion S. That is, the protecting portions 724 cannoteffectively prevent the fingers h of workers from contacting the edgesof the belt remaining portion S. Therefore, the fingers h of workerscannot be effectively prevented from being irritated or injured by theedges of the remaining portion S.

Thus, there is a need in the art for improved cable ties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For example, in one aspect of the present invention, a cable tie mayinclude a belt and a buckle to which a proximal end of the belt isconnected. When the belt wrapped around a clamped article is insertedinto an insertion hole of the buckle through an inlet end and is thentightened, the belt can be locked to the buckle while the belt isfastened around the clamped article. After the belt is locked to thebuckle, an excess portion of the belt drawn from an outlet end of theinsertion hole of the buckle is cut off while leaving a remainingportion, so that the clamped article can be clamped by the cable tie.The buckle has a protecting portion that is positioned adjacent to theoutlet end of the insertion hole and is configured to cover both sidesof the remaining portion of the belt. The remaining portion of the belthas a substantially rectangular cut surface. The protecting portion isconfigured to cover all of four corners of the substantially rectangularcut surface of the remaining portion of the belt.

According to this aspect, unlike the prior art, even if a tensionalforce is applied to the belt via the clamped article due to, forexample, a complicated wiring route of the clamped article, theremaining portion of the belt may be prevented from being warped.Therefore, a distal end portion of the remaining portion may beprevented from being displaced or deflected from the protecting portion.As a result, the protecting portion may effectively prevent the fingersof workers from directly contacting edges formed in the cut surface ofthe remaining portion. Therefore, the fingers of workers can beeffectively prevented from being irritated or injured by the edges.

In another aspect of the present invention, the protection portion istapered from a proximal end connected to the buckle toward a distal endin a width direction of the belt.

According to this aspect, the protecting portion of the buckle can beeasily fitted into a slot formed in a tool head of a specialized toolthat is used for treating the excess portion of the belt.

In another aspect of the present invention, the protection portion hasarcuate bulged portions formed in a distal end thereof. The arcuatebulged portions are configured such that in a pressed condition in whichthe protecting portion is pressed against a tool head of a specializedtool in order to cut the excess portion of the belt, only top portionsthereof enter a slot formed in the tool head.

According to this aspect, in the pressed condition, upper and lowermargins of the central top portions of the arcuate bulged portions mayrespectively contact upper and lower peripheries of the slot of the toolhead. Therefore, in this condition, a relative position of theprotecting portion to the tool head (the slot) may be determined inheight direction. As a result, in such a condition, even when theprotecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head due to, forexample, a fastening force that may be applied to the belt via thespecialized tool, one of upper and lower peripheries of the protectingportion may be effectively prevented from entering the slot of the toolhead. Therefore, even when the specialized tool is operated (even when atrigger is manipulated) in such a condition in which the protectingportion is inclined with respect to the tool head, one of the upper andlower peripheries of the protecting portion may be prevented from beingunexpectedly partially cut or removed by an internal cutter at the sametime as the excess portion of the belt may be cut off.

In another aspect of the present invention, a curvature of the arcuatebulged portions is determined such that even when an inclination isproduced between an axis line of the protecting portion and a lineperpendicular to an opening surface of the slot of the tool head in thepressed condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against thetool head of the specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion ofthe belt, the arcuate bulged portions do not interfere with a travelingpath of a blade of an internal cutter of the specialized tool.

According to this aspect, in the pressed condition, even when theprotecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head of thespecialized tool, the arcuate bulged portions may be prevented frombeing unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter atthe same time as the excess portion of the belt may be cut off.

In another aspect of the present invention, the protection portion hasprojected portions formed in a distal end thereof. The projectedportions are configured such that in a pressed condition in which theprotecting portion is pressed against a tool head of a specialized toolin order to cut the excess portion of the belt, the projected portionsenter a slot formed in the tool head.

According to this aspect, in the pressed condition, upper peripheriesand lower peripheries of the projected portions may respectively contactupper and lower peripheries of the slot of the tool head. Thus, arelative position of the protecting portion to the tool head may bedetermined in height direction. In such a condition, even when theprotecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head due to, forexample, a fastening force that may be applied to the belt via thespecialized tool, one of upper and lower peripheries of the protectingportion may be prevented from entering the slot of the tool head. As aresult, even when the specialized tool is operated (even when a triggeris manipulated) in a condition in which the protecting portion isinclined with respect to the tool head, one of the upper and lowerperipheries of the protecting portion may be prevented from beingunexpectedly partially cut or removed by an internal cutter at the sametime as the excess portion of the belt may be cut off.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill be readily understood after reading the following detaileddescription together with the accompanying drawings and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable tie according to a firstrepresentative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, in which a belt isinserted into an insertion hole formed in a buckle and in which anexcess portion of the belt drawn from the buckle is cut off whileleaving a remaining portion;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a first modifiedform of the cable tie;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a second modifiedform of the cable tie;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a third modifiedform of the cable tie;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a fourth modifiedform of the cable tie;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cable tie according to a secondrepresentative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a side view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cable tie of which a belt iswrapped around a wiring harness, which shows a condition before anexcess portion of the belt is cut off using a specialized tool;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the cable tie and the specialized tool,which shows a condition in which the specialized tool is applied to thecable tie;

FIG. 16 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie andthe specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which aprotecting portion formed in a buckle is pressed against a tool head ofthe specialized tool;

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 16, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is being cut by an internal cutter of thespecialized tool;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 16, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutterof the specialized tool;

FIG. 19 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie andthe specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which theprotecting portion formed in the buckle is pressed against the tool headof the specialized tool while it is inclined with respect to the toolhead;

FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 19, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter ofthe specialized tool;

FIG. 21 is a view similar to FIG. 19, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutterof the specialized tool;

FIG. 22 is a partially cross-sectional side view of a cable tie in acomparative example and the specialized tool, which shows a pressedcondition in which a protecting portion formed in a buckle is pressedagainst the tool head of the specialized tool in order to cut an excessportion of a belt wrapped around a wiring harness;

FIG. 23 is a view similar to FIG. 22, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter ofthe specialized tool;

FIG. 24 is a view similar to FIG. 22, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutterof the specialized tool;

FIG. 25 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie andthe specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which theprotecting portion formed in the buckle is pressed against the tool headof the specialized tool while it is inclined with respect to the toolhead;

FIG. 26 is a view similar to FIG. 25, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter ofthe specialized tool;

FIG. 27 is a view similar to FIG. 25, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutterof the specialized tool;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a cable tie according to a thirdrepresentative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is an elevational view of FIG. 29;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of FIG. 29;

FIG. 32 is a side view of FIG. 29;

FIG. 33 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie andthe specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which aprotecting portion formed in a buckle is pressed against the tool headof the specialized tool in order to cut an excess portion of a beltwrapped around a wiring harness;

FIG. 34 is a view similar to FIG. 33, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter ofthe specialized tool;

FIG. 35 is a view similar to FIG. 33, which shows a condition in whichthe excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutterof the specialized tool;

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a conventional cable tie;

FIG. 37 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 36, in which a belt isinserted into an insertion hole formed in a buckle and in which anexcess portion of the belt drawn from the buckle is cut off whileleaving a remaining portion; and

FIG. 38 is a view similar to FIG. 37, which illustrates disadvantages ofthe conventional cable tie.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed representative embodiments of the present invention are shownin FIG. 1 to FIG. 35.

First Embodiment

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detailwith reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. As shown in FIG. 1, a cable tie 1 (aclamping band) is intended to be used for clamping or binding a wiringharness W (a clamped article) that is used for vehicle wiring in orderto attach the same to a body panel of a vehicle (an object member) (notshown).

As shown in FIG. 1, the cable tie 1 may be integrally formed as a unitby integral molding of a rigid synthetic resin. The cable tie 1 mayinclude a desired length of flexible belt 10 (a holding member), abuckle 20 and an anchor 30 (an engagement leg). The belt 10, the buckle20 and the anchor 30 will be hereinafter described.

First, the belt 10 will be described (FIGS. 1 and 4). The belt 10 mayhave a substantially constant width over the entire length thereof andmay be configured to circumferentially hold the wiring harness W. Thebelt 10 may have a proximal end 10 a that is integrally connected to thebuckle 20 (which will be hereinafter described). Further, the belt 10may have a tapered distal end 10 b that may function as a free end.

The belt 10 may have a plurality of engagement teeth or rack teeth 10 cthat are formed in an inner surface thereof. The rack teeth 10 c maypreferably be arranged at a constant pitch distance in a longitudinaldirection of the belt 10. The belt 10 may have such a structure.

Next, the buckle 20 will be described (FIGS. 2 and 4). The buckle 20 mayhave a box-shaped member having an insertion hole 22 that is formedtherethrough. The insertion hole 22 may be configured such that the belt10 is inserted thereinto. The insertion hole 22 may have an inlet end 22a and an outlet end 22 b that are communicated with each other. Thebuckle 20 may have a protecting portion 24 that is formed therein. Theprotecting portion 24 may be positioned adjacent to the outlet end 22 bof the insertion hole 22. Further, the protecting portion 24 may beconfigured to cover both sides and an outer surface of a remainingportion S of the belt 10. In particular, the protecting portion 24 maypreferably have a substantially C-shape in cross section so as to coverall of four corners S2 of a substantially rectangular cut surface S1 ofthe remaining portion S of the belt 10. In other words, the protectingportion 24 may preferably have an inner shape corresponding to the fourcorners S2 of the cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S of the belt10 in cross section. Further, the remaining portion S of the belt 10 maybe formed when an excess portion of the belt 10 inserted into and drawnfrom the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 is cut off, which will behereinafter described.

The protecting portion 24 may preferably be tapered from a proximal endconnected to the buckle 20 toward a distal end in a width direction ofthe belt 10 (FIG. 2). Further, the buckle 20 may have one transversewall (a lower wall in FIG. 2) to which the proximal end 10 a of the belt10 is connected. Conversely, the buckle 20 may have the other transversewall (an upper wall in FIG. 2) to which the anchor 30 (which will behereinafter described) is connected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the buckle 20 may have an engagement strip 26 formedin one transverse wall of the buckle 20. The engagement strip 26 may bepositioned in the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20. The engagementstrip 26 may be configured to be bent or deformed toward and away fromthe other transverse wall of the buckle 20 (i.e., in a verticaldirection of the buckle 20) about a proximal end portion thereof due toelasticity of the synthetic resin. Further, the engagement strip 26 mayhave engagement claws 26 a that are formed in a distal end portionthereof. The engagement claws 26 a may be arranged and constructed toengage the rack teeth 10 c formed in the belt 10 inserted into theinsertion hole 22 of the buckle 20. The buckle 20 may have such astructure.

Finally, the anchor 30 will be described (FIGS. 2 and 3). The anchor 30may be connected to the buckle 20 while a dish-shaped stabilizer 28 isinterleaved therebetween. The anchor 30 may be configured to be insertedinto and connected to an attaching hole (not shown) that is previouslyformed in the body panel (not shown) on a predetermined wiring route ofthe wiring harness W. In particular, the anchor 30 may includes a pillar30 a that is projected from a central portion of the stabilizer 28, anda pair of flexible strips 30 b that are respectively connected to adistal end of the pillar 30 a so as to be projected obliquely downward(toward the stabilizer 28) and outward therefrom. The anchor 30 may havesuch a structure.

Next, an attaching operation for attaching the wiring harness W to thebody panel will be described. First, the belt 10 of the cable tie 1 maybe looped and the wiring harness W in order to clamp the wiring harnessW. Thereafter, the distal end 10 b of the belt 10 wrapped around thewiring harness W may be inserted into the insertion hole 22 of thebuckle 20 through the inlet end 22 a and may then be drawn from theoutlet end 22 b of the insertion hole 22. Subsequently, the distal end10 b of the belt 10 drawn from the buckle 20 may be pulled in order totemporarily tighten or fasten the belt 10 around the wiring harness W.Due to the temporary tightening operation of the belt 10, the belt 10may be pulled out of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 while therack teeth 10 c formed therein successively contact the engagement claws26 a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20. Thereafter,when the belt 10 reaches a desired temporarily fastened condition, theengagement claws 26 a of the engagement strip 26 may temporarilyselectively engage the rack teeth 10 c of the belt 10. Thus, the belt 10can be temporarily locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to betemporarily tightened or fastened around the wiring harness W.

Thereafter, the belt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may beprocessed or treated using a (gun-type) specialized tool (not shown). Inparticular, the protecting portion 24 of the buckle 20 may be fittedinto a recess or open-sided slot formed in a mouthpiece or tool head ofthe specialized tool while the excess portion of the belt 10 is insertedinto the slot. Subsequently, an operating lever or trigger of thespecialized tool may be manipulated. Upon manipulation of the trigger,the belt 10 temporarily fastened around the wiring harness W may besufficiently tightened or fastened until the belt 10 reaches a desiredfastened condition. When the belt 10 reaches the desired fastenedcondition, the engagement claws 26 a formed in the engagement strip 26of the buckle 20 may selectively engage the engagement teeth 10 c of thebelt 10. As a result, the belt 10 is ultimately locked or secured to thebuckle 20 so as to be completely fastened around the wiring harness W.

After the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, the excess portion of thebelt 10 may be automatically cut off while leaving the remaining portionS. Thus, the wiring harness W can be clamped by the cable tie 1 (thebelt 10 and the buckle 20). Thereafter, the anchor 30 of the cable tie 1may be inserted into the attaching hole formed in the body panel. As aresult, the anchor 30 can be fixed to the body panel, so that the cabletie 1 can be connected to the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness W canbe attached to the body panel via the cable tie 1.

The cable tie 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention mayhave a structure described above. That is, the buckle 20 may have theprotecting portion 24 that is configured to cover the both sides and theouter surface of the belt remaining portion S which may be formed whenthe excess portion of the belt 10 is cut off. In particular, theprotecting portion 24 may have the substantially C-shape in crosssection so as to cover all of four corners S2 of the substantiallyrectangular cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S of the belt 10.Therefore, even if a tensional force is applied to the belt 10 via thewiring harness W due to a complicated wiring route of the wiring harnessW, unlike the prior art, the remaining portion S of the belt 10 may beprevented from being warped. Therefore, a distal end portion (the cutsurface S1) of the remaining portion S may be prevented from beingdisplaced or deflected from the protecting portion 24. That is, theprotecting portion 24 can sufficiently cover the remaining portion S. Asa result, the protecting portion 24 may effectively prevent the fingersof workers from directly contacting edges formed in the cut surface S1of the remaining portion S. Therefore, the fingers of workers can beeffectively prevented from being irritated or injured by the edgesformed in the cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S.

Further, according to the structure, the protecting portion 24 of thebuckle 20 may be tapered from the proximal end toward the distal end inthe width direction of the belt 10. Therefore, the protecting portion 24can be easily fitted into the slot formed in the tool head of thespecialized tool.

Modified forms of the representative embodiment will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. As shown in FIG. 5, in a cable tie 101(a first modified form of the cable tie 1), a protecting portion 124 mayhave a semicircular removed portion 112 formed therein. The cable tie101 thus modified may have additional effects, e.g., reduction in weightand material costs.

As shown in FIG. 6, in a cable tie 201 (a second modified form of thecable tie 1), a protecting portion 224 may have a semi-ellipticalremoved portion 212 formed therein. Similar to the first modified form,the cable tie 201 thus modified may have additional effects, e.g.,reduction in weight and material costs.

As shown in FIG. 7, in a cable tie 301 (a third modified form of thecable tie 1), a protecting portion 324 may have a semi-oval removedportion 312 formed therein. Similar to the first modified form, thecable tie 301 thus modified may have additional effects, e.g., reductionin weight and material costs.

As shown in FIG. 8, in a cable tie 401 (a fourth modified form of thecable tie 1), a protecting portion 424 may be configured so as tocompletely surround the outlet end 22 b of the insertion hole 22 of thebuckle 20. That is, the protecting portion 424 may have a tubular shape.According to the cable tie 401 thus modified, a protecting portion 424may function to cover the inner surface of the remaining portion S ofthe belt 10 as well as the both sides and the outer surface thereof.Further, in the cable tie 401 thus constructed, the protecting portion424 may not be tapered from its proximal end toward its distal end inthe width direction of the belt 10. Therefore, the belt 10 of the cabletie 401 may be treated (tightened and cut off) using a different type ofspecialized tool of which a tool head is modified.

Second Embodiment

A second detailed representative embodiment will now be described withreference to FIGS. 9 to 27. Further, because the second embodimentrelates to the first embodiment, only the constructions and elementsthat are different from the first embodiment will be explained indetail. Elements that are the same in the first and second embodimentswill be identified by the same reference numerals and a detaileddescription of such elements may be omitted.

Similar to the cable tie 1 of the first embodiment, a cable tie 501 ofthe second embodiment may be integrally formed as a unit by integralmolding of a rigid synthetic resin. The cable tie 501 may include theflexible belt 10, the buckle 20 and the engagement leg or anchor 30(FIGS. 9-13).

The buckle 20 may have a tubular member having the insertion hole 22that is formed therethrough. In particular, the buckle 20 may have(right and left) side walls 20 a and 20 b, an upper wall 20 c bridgingor connecting upper peripheries of the side walls 20 a and 20 b, and alower wall 20 d bridging or connecting lower peripheries of the sidewalls 20 a and 20 b.

Similar to the first embodiment, the buckle 20 may have a protectingportion 524 that is formed therein. The protecting portion 524 may bepositioned adjacent to the outlet end 22 b of the insertion hole 22.Further, the protecting portion 524 may be configured to cover bothsides and an outer surface of a remaining portion S of the belt 10. Inparticular, the protecting portion 524 may preferably have asubstantially C-shape in cross section so as to cover all of fourcorners S2 of a substantially rectangular cut surface S1 of theremaining portion S of the belt 10. That is, the protecting portion 524may have (right and left) side walls 524 a and 524 b each having asubstantially L-shape in cross section, and an upper wall 524 c bridgingor connecting upper peripheries of the side walls 524 a and 524 b.Further, the remaining portion S may be formed when an excess portion ofthe belt 10 inserted into and drawn from the insertion hole 22 of thebuckle 20 is cut off, which will be hereinafter described.

As will be apparent from FIG. 11, the side walls 524 a and 524 b of theprotecting portion 524 may respectively be configured to be thinner thanthe side walls 20 a and 20 b of the buckle 20. Further, the upper wall524 c of the protecting portion 524 may preferably be configured so asto be flush with the upper wall 20 c of the buckle 20.

As best shown in FIG. 13, forward or distal end surfaces of the sidewalls 524 a and 524 b of the protecting portion 524 may respectively bebulged in an arcuate or circular arc shape. In other words, the sidewalls 524 a and 524 b of the protecting portion 524 may respectivelyhave curved or arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the forwardor distal end surfaces thereof. Further, the bulged portions 540 and 542may respectively be specially shaped (which will be hereinafterdescribed).

Next, an attaching operation for attaching the wiring harness W to thebody panel using the cable tie 501 will be described. First, similar tothe first embodiment, the belt 10 of the cable tie 501 may be looped andthe wiring harness W in order to clamp the wiring harness W. Thereafter,the distal end 10 b of the belt 10 wrapped around the wiring harness Wmay be inserted into the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 through theinlet end 22 a and may then be drawn from the outlet end 22 b of theinsertion hole 22. Subsequently, the distal end 10 b of the belt 10drawn from the buckle 20 may be pulled in order to temporarily tightenor fasten (lock) the belt 10 (FIG. 14). Due to the temporary tighteningoperation of the belt 10, the belt 10 may be pulled out of the insertionhole 22 of the buckle 20 while the rack teeth 10 c of the belt 10successively contact the engagement claws 26 a formed in the engagementstrip 26 of the buckle 20. Thereafter, when the belt 10 reaches adesired temporarily fastened condition, the engagement claws 26 a of theengagement strip 26 may temporarily selectively engage the rack teeth 10c of the belt 10. Thus, the belt 10 can be temporarily locked or securedto the buckle 20 so as to be temporarily fastened around the wiringharness W (FIG. 14).

Thereafter, the belt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may betreated using a (gun-type) specialized tool 50 (FIG. 15). In particular,the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be pressed against amouthpiece or tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 while the excessportion (a substantial portion containing the distal end 10 b) of thebelt 10 is inserted into a recess or open-sided slot 54 formed in thetool head 52 of the specialized tool. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16,the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the protecting portion524 of the buckle 20 may respectively be pressed against the slot 54formed in the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50. However, aspreviously described, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 mayrespectively be specially shaped. In particular, the arcuate bulgedportions 540 and 542 may preferably be arranged and constructed suchthat in a pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of thebuckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10, only top portions 540a and 542 a thereof may enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52.Therefore, at this time, only the top portions 540 a and 542 a of thearcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may enter the slot 54 of the toolhead 52.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, upper and lower margins of the topportions 540 a and 542 a of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 mayrespectively contact upper and lower peripheries 54 a and 54 b of theslot 54 of the tool head 52. Thus, in the pressed condition in which theprotecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head52 of the specialized tool 50, a relative position of the protectingportion 524 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined inheight direction.

Subsequently, the specialized tool 50 may be operated (i.e., anoperating lever or trigger 50 a of the specialized tool 50 may bemanipulated). Upon manipulation of the trigger 50 a, the belt 10temporarily fastened around the wiring harness W may be sufficientlytightened or fastened until the belt 10 reaches a desired fastenedcondition. When the belt 10 reaches the desired fastened condition, theengagement claws 26 a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20may selectively engage the engagement teeth 10 c of the belt 10. As aresult, the belt 10 is ultimately locked or secured to the buckle 20 soas to be completely fastened around the wiring harness W.

As shown in FIG. 17, after the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, aninternal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 may be projected into theslot 54 of the tool head 52, so that a blade 56 a of the internal cutter56 may move along its traveling path L3. As a result, as shown in FIG.18, the excess portion of the belt 10 drawn from the outlet end 22 b ofthe insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 may be cut off while leaving theremaining portion S.

Further, as will be apparent from FIGS. 17 and 18, upon completion of acutting operation of the belt 10, the desired fastened condition of thebelt 10 may be slightly released or loosened (i.e., a backlash may beproduced). Therefore, the cut surface S1 (end portion) of the remainingportion S of the belt 10 may substantially be pulled back inside theprotecting portion 524. As a result, the cut surface S1 may be preventedfrom projecting from the protecting portion 524 (the arcuate bulgedportions 540 and 542).

Thus, similar to the first embodiment, the wiring harness W can beclamped by the cable tie 501 (the belt 10 and the buckle 20).Thereafter, the anchor 30 of the cable tie 501 may be inserted into theattaching hole formed in the body panel. As a result, the anchor 30 canbe fixed to the body panel, so that the cable tie 501 can be connectedto the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness W can be attached to thebody panel via the cable tie 501.

Further, a curvature (degree of curve) of the arcuate bulged portions540 and 542 may preferably be configured such that in the pressedcondition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 ispressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order tocut the excess portion of the belt 10, the arcuate bulged portions 540and 542 may not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56 aof the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 (FIG. 18). Inaddition, the curvature of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 maybe determined such that even when a substantial inclination θ isproduced between an axis line L1 of the protecting portion 524 and aline L2 perpendicular to an opening surface 54 c of the slot 54 of thetool head 52 in such a pressed condition, the arcuate bulged portions540 and 542 may not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 (FIG. 21). Aswill be recognized, the inclination θ may sometimes be produced due to,for example, a fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 viathe specialized tool 50.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 16, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and542 formed in the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may beconfigured such that the curvature thereof is smaller than a curvatureof a circle P passing through the upper and lower peripheries 54 a and54 b of the slot 54 of the tool head 52 and contacting the travelingpath L3. Therefore, in the pressed condition in which the protectingportion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 (the topportions 540 a and 542 a) may be prevented from entering the slot 54 ofthe tool head 52 beyond the traveling path L3 of the blade 56 a of theinternal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 (FIGS. 16 to 18). Further,even when the substantial inclination θ is produced between the axisline L1 of the protecting portion 524 and the line L2 perpendicular tothe opening surface 54 c of the slot 54 of the tool head 52 in thepressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, thearcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 (the top portions 540 a and 542 a)may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head 52 beyondthe traveling path L3 of the blade 56 a of the internal cutter 56 (FIGS.19 to 21).

As described above, in the pressed condition in which the protectingportion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 524to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height directionwhile the top portions 540 a and 542 a of the arcuate bulged portions540 and 542 enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Therefore, as shownin FIG. 19, even when the protecting portion 524 is inclined withrespect to the tool head 52 in this condition due to, for example, thefastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via the specializedtool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 524 d of the protectingportion 524 may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head52. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, even when the specializedtool 50 is operated (even when the trigger 50 a is manipulated) in acondition in which the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respectto the tool head 52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 524 d of theprotecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be prevented from beingunexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 at thesame time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

To the contrary, as shown in FIGS. 22 to 24, in a cable tie 401′ (acomparative example) in which forward or distal end surfaces of sidewalls of a protecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 are respectivelyflattened (i.e., in which the side walls of the protecting portion 424′are not respectively bulged in the forward or distal end surfacesthereof), similar to the cable tie 501 of the second embodiment, thebelt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may be treated using thespecialized tool 50. In particular, the protecting portion 424′ of thebuckle 20 may be pressed against the tool head 52 of the specializedtool 50 while the excess portion of the belt 10 drawn from the outletend 22 b of the insertion hole 22 is inserted into the slot 54 formed inthe tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50. Subsequently, thespecialized tool 50 may be operated (i.e., the trigger 50 a may bemanipulated). As a result, the belt 10 is ultimately locked or securedto the buckle 20. After the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, theinternal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 may be projected into theslot 54 of the tool head 52, so that the blade 56 a of the internalcutter 56 may move along the traveling path L3. Thus, the excess portionof the belt 10 drawn from the outlet end 22 b of the insertion hole 22of the buckle 20 may be cut off while leaving the remaining portion S(FIG. 24).

However, in the cable tie 401′, in a pressed condition in which theprotecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 is pressed against the toolhead 52 of the specialized tool 50, a relative position of theprotecting portion 424′ to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) cannot bedetermined in height direction because unlike the cable tie 501 of thesecond embodiment, the distal end surfaces of side walls of theprotecting portion 424′ are respectively flattened and not bulged.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, in the pressed condition in which theprotecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 is pressed against the toolhead 52 of the specialized tool 50, when the protecting portion 424′ ofthe buckle 20 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 due to, forexample, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via thespecialized tool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 424 a′ of theprotecting portion 424′ may enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52 tointerfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56 a of the internalcutter 56 of the specialized tool 50. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 26and 27, when the specialized tool 50 is operated in a condition in whichthe protecting portion 424′ is inclined with respect to the tool head52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 424 a′ of the protectingportion 424′ may be partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56to form cut pieces C at the same time as the excess portion of the belt10 may be cut off.

The cable tie 501 of the second embodiment may have a structuredescribed above. That is, the side walls 524 a and 524 b of theprotecting portion 524 may respectively have the curved or arcuatebulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the distal end surfaces thereof.The arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may preferably be arranged andconstructed such that in the pressed condition in which the protectingportion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10,only the top portions 540 a and 542 a thereof may enter the slot 54 ofthe tool head 52.

As a result, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50, the upper and lower margins of the top portions 540a and 542 a of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may respectivelycontact the upper and lower peripheries 54 a and 54 b of the slot 54 ofthe tool head 52. Therefore, in this condition, the relative position ofthe protecting portion 524 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may bedetermined in height direction.

Thus, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 ofthe buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specializedtool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 524 to the toolhead 52 may be determined. Therefore, even when the protecting portion524 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 in this condition dueto, for example, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10via the specialized tool 50, one of the upper and lower peripheries 524d of the protecting portion 524 may be effectively prevented fromentering the slot 54 of the tool head 52. As a result, even when thespecialized tool 50 is operated (even when the trigger 50 a ismanipulated) in a condition in which the protecting portion 524 isinclined with respect to the tool head 52, one of the upper and lowerperipheries 524 d of the protecting portion 524 may be prevented frombeing unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 atthe same time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

Further, in the cable tie 501, the curvature of the arcuate bulgedportions 540 and 542 formed in the protecting portion 524 of the buckle20 may be determined such that even when the axis line L1 of theprotecting portion 524 is inclined with respect to the line L2perpendicular to the opening surface 54 c of the slot 54 of the toolhead 52 in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 ofthe buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specializedtool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10, the arcuatebulged portions 540 and 542 may not interfere with the traveling path L3of the blade 56 a of the internal cutter 56.

Therefore, even when the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respectto the tool head 52 in the pressed condition in which the protectingportion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed inthe protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be prevented from beingunexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 at thesame time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

Third Embodiment

A third detailed representative embodiment will now be described withreference to FIGS. 28 to 35. Further, because the third embodimentrelates to the second embodiment, only the constructions and elementsthat are different from the second embodiment will be explained indetail. Elements that are the same in the second and third embodimentswill be identified by the same reference numerals and a detaileddescription of such elements may be omitted.

Similar to the cable tie 501 of the second embodiment, a cable tie 601may be integrally formed as a unit by integral molding of a rigidsynthetic resin. The cable tie 601 may include the flexible belt 10, thebuckle 20 and the engagement leg or anchor 30 (FIGS. 28-32).

Similar to the second embodiment, the buckle 20 may have a protectingportion 624 that is formed therein. The protecting portion 624 may have(right and left) side walls 624 a and 624 b each having a substantiallyL-shape in cross section, and an upper wall 624 c bridging or connectingupper peripheries of the side walls 624 a and 624 b.

As best shown in FIG. 32, forward or distal end surfaces of the sidewalls 624 a and 624 b of the protecting portion 624 may respectively bepartially protruded. In other words, the protecting portion 624 may haverounded projected portions 640 and 642 that are respectively formed inthe forward or distal end surfaces of the side walls 624 a and 624 bthereof.

Next, an attaching operation for attaching the wiring harness W to thebody panel using the cable tie 601 will be described. First, similar tothe second embodiment, the belt 10 of the cable tie 601 may be loopedand the wiring harness W in order to clamp the wiring harness W.Thereafter, the distal end 10 b of the belt 10 wrapped around the wiringharness W may be inserted into the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20through the inlet end 22 a and may then be drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22. Subsequently, the distal end 10 b of thebelt 10 drawn from the buckle 20 may be pulled in order to temporarilytighten or fasten (lock) the belt 10. Due to the temporary tighteningoperation of the belt 10, the belt 10 may be pulled out of the insertionhole 22 of the buckle 20 while the rack teeth 10 c of the belt 10successively contact the engagement claws 26 a formed in the engagementstrip 26 of the buckle 20. Thereafter, when the belt 10 reaches adesired temporarily fastened condition, the engagement claws 26 a of theengagement strip 26 may temporarily selectively engage the rack teeth 10c of the belt 10. Thus, the belt 10 can be temporarily locked or securedto the buckle 20 so as to be temporarily fastened around the wiringharness W.

Thereafter, the belt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may betreated using the specialized tool 50. In particular, the protectingportion 624 of the buckle 20 may be pressed against the tool head 52 ofthe specialized tool 50 while the excess portion (a substantial portioncontaining the distal end 10 b) of the belt 10 is inserted into a recessor slot 54 formed in the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50. As aresult, as shown in FIG. 33, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642formed in the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 may respectivelybe pressed against the slot 54 formed in the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50. However, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642may respectively be specially shaped. In particular, the roundedprojected portions 640 and 642 may preferably be arranged andconstructed so as to enter or fit into the slot 54 of the tool head 52when the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against thetool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order to cut the excessportion of the belt 10. Therefore, at this time, the rounded projectedportions 640 and 642 may enter or fit into the slot 54 of the tool head52 (FIG. 33).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 33, upper and lower peripheries 640 a and642 a of the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may respectivelycontact the upper and lower peripheries 54 a and 54 b of the slot 54 ofthe tool head 52. Thus, in a pressed condition in which the protectingportion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50, a relative position of the protecting portion 624to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction.

Subsequently, the specialized tool 50 may be operated (i.e., the trigger50 a of the specialized tool 50 may be manipulated). Upon manipulationof the trigger 50 a, the belt 10 temporarily fastened around the wiringharness W may be sufficiently tightened or fastened until the belt 10reaches a desired fastened condition. When the belt 10 reaches thedesired fastened condition, the engagement claws 26 a formed in theengagement strip 26 of the buckle 20 may selectively engage theengagement teeth 10 c of the belt 10. As a result, the belt 10 isultimately locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to be completelyfastened around the wiring harness W.

As shown in FIG. 34, after the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, theinternal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 may be projected into theslot 54 of the tool head 52, so that the blade 56 a of the internalcutter 56 may move along the traveling path L3. As a result, as shown inFIG. 35, the excess portion of the belt 10 drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 may be cut off while leavingthe remaining portion S.

Further, as will be apparent from FIGS. 34 and 35, upon completion of acutting operation of the belt 10, the desired fastened condition of thebelt 10 may be slightly released or loosened (i.e., a backlash may beproduced). Therefore, the cut surface S1 (end portion) of the remainingportion S of the belt 10 may substantially be pulled back inside theprotecting portion 624. As a result, the cut surface S1 may be preventedfrom projecting from the protecting portion 624 (the rounded projectedportions 640 and 642).

Thus, similar to the second embodiment, the wiring harness W can beclamped by the cable tie 601 (the belt 10 and the buckle 20).Thereafter, the anchor 30 of the cable tie 601 may be inserted into theattaching hole formed in the body panel. As a result, the anchor 30 canbe fixed to the body panel, so that the cable tie 601 can be connectedto the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness W can be attached to thebody panel via the cable tie 601.

Further, as shown in FIG. 33, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642formed in the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 may be configuredso as to not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56 a ofthe internal cutter 56 when the rounded projected portions 640 and 642are fitted into the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Further, the roundedprojected portions 640 and 642 may respectively be arranged andconstructed so as to not interfere with the traveling path L3 of theblade 56 a of the internal cutter 56 even when the rounded projectedportions 640 and 642 are fitted into the slot 54 of the tool head 52while the protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the toolhead 52.

As described above, in the pressed condition in which the protectingportion 624 of the buckle 20 are pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 624to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height directionwhile the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 are introduced into theslot 54 of the tool head 52. Therefore, even when the protecting portion624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 in this condition dueto, for example, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10via the specialized tool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 624 d ofthe protecting portion 624 may be prevented from entering the slot 54 ofthe tool head 52. As a result, even when the specialized tool 50 isoperated (even when the trigger 50 a is manipulated) in a condition inwhich the protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the toolhead 52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 624 d of the protectingportion 624 may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut orremoved by the internal cutter 56 at the same time as the excess portionof the belt 10 may be cut off.

The cable tie 601 of the third embodiment may have a structure describedabove. That is, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 mayrespectively be formed in the distal end surfaces of the side walls 624a and 624 b of the protecting portion 624. The rounded projectedportions 640 and 642 may preferably be arranged and constructed so as toenter or fit into the slot 54 of the tool head 52 in the pressedcondition in which the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 ispressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order tocut the excess portion of the belt 10.

Therefore, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 624of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specializedtool 50, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may enter or fitinto the slot 54 of the tool head 52, so that the upper and lowerperipheries 640 a and 642 a of the rounded projected portions 640 and642 may respectively contact the upper and lower peripheries 54 a and 54b of the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Thus, the relative position of theprotecting portion 624 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may bedetermined in height direction.

As described above, in the pressed condition in which the protectingportion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of thespecialized tool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 624to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction.Therefore, in such a pressed condition, even when the protecting portion624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 due to, for example,the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via thespecialized tool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 624 d of theprotecting portion 624 may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of thetool head 52. As a result, even when the specialized tool 50 is operated(even when the trigger 50 a is manipulated) in the condition in whichthe protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52,one of the upper and lower peripheries 624 d of the protecting portion624 may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed bythe internal cutter 56 at the same time as the excess portion of thebelt 10 may be cut off. That is, this embodiment may have the sameeffect as the second embodiment.

Naturally, various changes and modifications may be made to the presentinvention without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample, in the embodiments, the wiring harness W is exemplified as theclamped article. However, the clamped article may be a single cable orother such cable-like members.

Further, in the second embodiment, the side walls 524 a and 524 b of theprotecting portion 524 are respectively configured to be thinner thanthe side walls 20 a and 20 b of the buckle 20. In addition, the upperwall 524 c of the protecting portion 524 is configured so as to be flushwith the upper wall 20 c of the buckle 20 (FIG. 11). However, each ofthe side walls 524 a and 524 b of the protecting portion 524 may beconfigured so as to be flush with each of the side walls 20 a and 20 bof the buckle 20. In addition, the upper wall 524 c of the protectingportion 524 may be configured to be thinner than the upper wall 20 c ofthe buckle 20. That is, the side walls 524 a and 524 b and/or the upperwall 524 c of the protecting portion 524 may respectively be configuredto be thinner than the side walls 20 a and 20 b and/or the upper wall 20c of the buckle 20. The same is true on the first and third embodiments.

Representative examples of the present invention have been described indetail with reference to the attached drawings. This detaileddescription is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the allfurther details for practicing preferred aspects of the presentinvention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Onlythe claims define the scope of the claimed invention. Therefore,combinations of features and steps disclosed in the foregoing detaildescription may not be necessary to practice the invention in thebroadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describedetailed representative examples of the invention. Moreover, the variousfeatures taught in this specification may be combined in ways that arenot specifically enumerated in order to obtain additional usefulembodiments of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cable tie, comprising: a belt, and a buckle towhich a proximal end of the belt is connected, wherein when the beltwrapped around a clamped article is inserted into an insertion hole ofthe buckle through an inlet end and is then tightened, the belt can belocked to the buckle while the belt is fastened around the clampedarticle, wherein after the belt is locked to the buckle, an excessportion of the belt drawn from an outlet end of the insertion hole ofthe buckle is cut off while leaving a remaining portion, so that theclamped article can be clamped by the cable tie, wherein the buckle hasa protecting portion that is positioned adjacent to the outlet end ofthe insertion hole and is configured to cover both sides of theremaining portion of the belt, wherein the remaining portion of the belthas a substantially rectangular cut surface, and wherein the protectingportion is configured to cover all of four corners of the substantiallyrectangular cut surface of the remaining portion of the belt.
 2. Thecable tie as defined in claim 1, wherein the protection portion istapered from a proximal end connected to the buckle toward a distal endin a width direction of the belt.
 3. The cable tie as defined in claim1, wherein the protection portion has arcuate bulged portions formed ina distal end thereof, and wherein the arcuate bulged portions areconfigured such that in a pressed condition in which the protectingportion is pressed against a tool head of a specialized tool in order tocut the excess portion of the belt, only top portions thereof enter aslot formed in the tool head.
 4. The cable tie as defined in claim 3,wherein a curvature of the arcuate bulged portions is determined suchthat even when an inclination is produced between an axis line of theprotecting portion and a line perpendicular to an opening surface of theslot of the tool head in the pressed condition in which the protectingportion is pressed against the tool head of the specialized tool inorder to cut the excess portion of the belt, the arcuate bulged portionsdo not interfere with a traveling path of a blade of an internal cutterof the specialized tool.
 5. The cable tie as defined in claim 1, whereinthe protection portion has projected portions formed in a distal endthereof, and wherein the projected portions are configured such that ina condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against a toolhead of a specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion of thebelt, the projected portions enter a slot formed in the tool head. 6.The cable tie as defined in claim 1, wherein the protection portion hasa substantially C-shape in cross section.